1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to three dimensional image display systems. More particularly, this invention relates to a new three dimensional image display system that is adaptable to any image producing source, whether television, print, movie screen, computer monitor, or other source.
2. Description of Related Art
Attempts have been made since at least the 1940's to produce a satisfactory, universal three dimensional image display system. The essential problem to be solved is the production of two independent images to the right and left eyes of an observer, which are combined in the brain to give the viewer a perception of depth.
The attempts at stereoscopic three dimensional image display have involved a wide variety of techniques, in a variety of media, with limited results. Additionally, the techniques known in the art typically involve some sort of complexity or hindrance, either singly or in combination. Such incumbrances have included cumbersome or expensive decoding glasses to be worn by the viewer, sophisticated and costly signal multiplexing, polarization or color filters, multivibrators, oscillators, multiple camera image generation and phase adjustment devices, and special strips, screens and filming techniques. Moreover, many three dimensional image display systems known heretofore produce a three dimensional image observable in a narrowly circumscribed location. Additionally, three dimensional image display techniques have heretofore been primarily directed to motion pictures, either in television or film projection. Consequently many image sources that contain 3-D information have never been used for 3-D viewing.
Three dimensional image display has a vast number of potential applications, if it can be produced simply, without the aid of mechanical or electrical contraptions, and in a variety of media. Home entertainment, theatre entertainment, medicine (e.g., x-ray analysis, surgery, diagnostic imaging), scientific research (e.g., computer modelling, cosmology) and advertising, are just a few of the possibilities. Unfortunately, the limitations in the state of the art up to now has curtailed application of three dimensional image display to places of amusement, leaving its wider applications in the home, the work place and the researh laboratory largely untouched.
The present invention overcomes and supersedes prior limitations in the art through the discovery of a method for three dimensional image display adaptable to virtually any two dimensional image that already contains three dimensional information. Ordinary two dimensional images, such as those produced on television sets, postcards, photographs, and computer screens, apparently already contain as an incident to their generation three dimensional image information. The information can be retrieved and displayed through the application of a conversion means lens assembly to the image such that adjacent pairs of picture elements are perceived by the right and left eyes independently. By the application of a conversion means lens assembly of the present invention, stereoscopic, three dimensional display can be achieved simply, at relatively low cost, and for virtually any two dimensional image source that has three dimensional information incidental to its image generation. The invention requires no filters, glasses, multiplexing, polarization, signal processing, or other electrical or mechanical device or procedure. Moreover, the conversion means lens assembly can be mass produced at low cost by currently available manufacturing technology.
Without prejudice to the scope of the appended claims, the applicant herein below sets forth what is believed to be the principle of operation of the invention, the summary of what applicant believes to be his invention, and a detailed description of how to make and use the invention as the applicant understands it.